KSU Research Protects Nation's Poultry Supply

USAgNet - 03/06/2026

New research at Kansas State University aims to tackle one of the most significant threats to global animal health and food security -- highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI -- by using mealworms, a supplement of poultry feed, as a vaccine-delivery method.

A multidisciplinary research team from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Entomology is developing the unique vaccination strategy to help protect the nation's poultry supply, where the disease moves with devastating speed.

Researchers respond to devastating poultry disease

"In a typical poultry house, the HPAI virus can kill nearly an entire flock within 48 hours," said Laura Miller, associate professor of veterinary virology, immunology and genomics.

Kansas has experienced this impact firsthand. More than 413,000 birds have been affected statewide since late 2025, including roughly 360,000 birds from a single commercial table-egg pullet operation in Pottawatomie County.

As the principal investigator on the new research project, Miller said federal and state regulations require the immediate depopulation of infected flocks to prevent further spread. In response, the Secretary of Agriculture, through USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, has allocated $100 million to fund innovative projects advancing prevention, therapeutics, vaccine development and other mitigation strategies.

In a highly competitive process, APHIS received 417 proposals totaling more than $793 million in funding requests. Miller's project, "Insects for Antigen Production and Delivery: A Novel Oral Vaccination Platform for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Poultry," was awarded $1,999,946.

Co-investigators include K-State colleagues Erin Schirtzinger, research assistant professor, Santosh Dhakal, assistant professor in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and Brenda Oppert, adjunct professor in entomology and the Insect Farming Initiative; and Marce Lorenzen, professor in entomology and plant pathology at North Carolina State University.

"Our oral, insect-based vaccine can be delivered as a feed supplement, allowing a producer to protect thousands of birds quickly without the stress of manual handling," Miller said. "Mealworms, a natural component of poultry diets, offer significant nutritional benefits while serving as efficient biological factories for vaccine antigens."

The research aligns closely with Oppert's work with K-State's Insect Farming Initiative which aims to promote insect farming, raising and breeding insects to support other agrifood systems, through research and outreach. Oppert serves on the initiative's core support team.

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